Preston Smith

Preston Smith (25 December 1823-19 September 1863) was a Brigadier-General of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.

Biography
Preston Smith was born in Giles County, Tennessee in 1823, and he was a successful lawyer in Memphis before the American Civil War broke out in 1861. He was elected colonel of a state militia regiment, siding with the Confederacy against the Union. Smith lost the use of his right shoulder after being wounded at Shiloh, and he returned to command during Braxton Bragg's 1862 Kentucky campaign. On 27 October 1862, Smith was given command of a brigade of the Army of Tennessee, and he fought at the Battle of Chickamauga in September 1863. Smith and his staff mistakenly rode towards Union lines, mistaking them for Confederate troops, and Smith was mortally wounded, while two of his aides were killed. Smith was carried to the rear, and he died within an hour.